Demon Deacons rely on veterans scoring

Chief among those was if C.J. Harris and Travis McKie struggle to score, the young Demon Deacons probably are doomed.

“We understand that, that we have to play well,” Harris said dejectedly, after the Cornhuskers’ 79-63 romp at Joel Coliseum. “We’re the only guys that have been there, done the scoring. It’s just on us as leaders to do our role.”

Neither Harris nor McKie reached double digits against Nebraska, and that hadn’t happened in the veteran duo’s last 40 games together, since late February 2011 in a debacle at Clemson.

McKie managed eight points on 2-for-11 shooting from the field in Tuesday night’s loss. Harris was less productive, despite instructions just prior to tip-off from coach Jeff Bzdelik to play aggressively.

The senior guard scored two points on 1-for-6 shooting from the field — his lowest output in a game since Feb. 27, 2010, during his freshman season — and he seemed to lack energy during his 35 minutes on the court.

“I’m fine,” Harris said, when asked how he felt physically. “I didn’t shoot the ball well. That’s just part of the game. I’ve had bad shooting nights in the past. Just got to get back in the gym.”

Bzdelik reiterated his confidence that Harris will bounce back tonight at Richmond.

Harris and McKie are the Atlantic Coast Conference’s top two returning scorers from last season. Through six games this season their numbers have dipped a bit. Harris is scoring 13.5 points per game, down from 16.7. McKie is averaging 14.3 points per game after checking in at 16.1 last season.

Bzdelik said their troubles against Nebraska became connected to a broader, team-wide problem.

“We can’t get frustrated when the ball’s not going in,” Bzdelik said. “I think that really diffused our defensive energy. We got frustrated by the fact that we had a hard time scoring.”

Wake Forest and Richmond enter tonight with William & Mary as a common opponent.